Live Enlightenment

Having spent the majority of my childhood living in the Salt Lake valley, attending General Conference in person was always an option. In those days there was no ticketing system and as now, there were always more people who wanted to attend than could be accommodated, so you had to be downtown super early to get in line and hope that you could get in. With seven children in the family, hauling all of us downtown might have seemed like a Herculean task to my parents, so even then, we usually watched conference at home. I do remember attending regional or area conferences in the tabernacle occasionally though. In the ensuing years, it seems that the number of people on hand for each conference has grown exponentially, so attending in person, even in the much larger conference center, is a tricky thing. The ticketing system helps mediate that desire and makes it so you don’t have to get in line at 5:00 in the morning, you just have to get tickets and that in and of itself can be tricky. 

Last month, we got a notification that our stake was allotted a small number of tickets for this month’s general conference. Kevin asked our kiddos if they were interested and we got some very enthusiastic responses. Malia has never attended general conference in person and Tawni, who grew up in New Mexico, also fell into the “never done that” category. We ended up with tickets to the Sunday afternoon session, so Daniel, Tawni, and Nathan made their way down from Logan to attend the session. Nathan came down on Friday since he had a mission reunion that evening, and Daniel and Tawni arrived this morning just as I was pulling muffins out of the oven. Because even when headed downtown, our traditional conference breakfast was necessary. And it gave the kids muffins that they could easily eat for lunch before entering the conference center! 

Kevin and I both got our shingles vaccinations in the past couple of days and were not feeling our best (that particular immunization is a doozy) and I’ve had a headache for two full weeks now, so the four kids headed downtown via the train. The boys told me that Tawni was ridiculously excited, and I know Malia was excited too. She was a bit disappointed that she missed conference with Pres. Nelson by a week and was even a bit more disappointed that there were no new temples announced as he usually announced the new ones at the end of the Sunday afternoon session. Despite that, she had a good experience. Tawni also enjoyed the adventure and got to hear one of her mission presidents speak (Elder John D. Amos) which was fun!

This past month has been a bit hard around here, and the spiritual lift that we got from listening to conference was welcome. I’m looking forward to being able to revisit all these talks over the next six months.

Mmmm…Rice!

Matthew loves rice. When he was a toddler, he referred to anything he found tasty as rice. And his appreciation of whatever foodstuffs he was enjoying was expressed as, “Mmmm…rice!” Bread fresh out of the oven and left to cool? “Mmmm…rice!” Sugar cookies nabbed while my back was turned? “Mmmm…rice!” And actual rice? “Mmmm…rice!” So, this is a kid who likes rice. A lot. And this is also a kid who has never cooked rice without a rice cooker. That’s a side effect of our Chinese heritage. I suspect that most people around here view a rice cooker as a handy but nonessential appliance. But in my house, it is an absolute necessity. Daniel went all rogue while he was serving in Oregon and learned to cook rice in a pot, but my other kids are highly dependent on rice cookers. I mean, I can cook rice in a pot too, but why bother when my rice cooker is so much easier and yields fantastic results? And I can set it to run and walk away, even leave the house, which you most definitely cannot do when you are cooking rice on the stove.

Eating at the MTC, where rice was served but was the long grain, Uncle Ben’s type of rice in industrial quantities was a whole new experience for Matthew. And since he consumed the microwaveable sticky rice bowls I shipped to the mission office for his first couple of days in Arkansas, he has not had any more rice. And that was almost two months ago. Needless to say, he has reached the point of having rice withdrawals. So why doesn’t he buy rice, you may ask? Because the area of Fort Smith where he is assigned is so poor that they don’t even have a Walmart. And since he is in Arkansas, the place from whence all Walmarts spring, that is saying something. He told us the nicest store they have is Dollar General. Which means that he can’t find good rice. Because along with our deep dependence on rice cookers, we are also rice snobs. Being raised on medium grain Calrose sticky rice means that the Uncle Bens and the Minute Rices of the world are far, far below our ricey standards. Because let’s face it, not all rice is created equal. Even the cuisine of other cultures that leans heavily on rice (think Mexican food) uses a very different variety of rice. And Calrose rice is nowhere near as cheap as some of the other varieties. Hence Dollar General not carrying it. 

But this is where Amazon is super fantastic because not only can I buy a rice cooker on the cheap, but they will ship it to Arkansas free of charge. And they also sell bags of the right kind of rice, which is even more convenient. So last night was rice night in Fort Smith. And Matthew loves me even extra lots today because 15 pounds of rice should last him for a while. 😉

A Whale of a Tale

Nathan is fully engaged in his ward. Which is good. When I was in college, I was all in too, making sure to set aside time for weekly family home evenings and ward prayers and all the ward activities. Not only do you get to meet lots of people that way, but it can be super fun. This week his FHE activity was a photos scavenger hunt. And his team won, with the prize being a bag of Otter Pops for each person in his group. Which he was super happy about. He shared one of the photos that led them to victory and it made me laugh. 

He is definitely not above acting a bit silly when Otter Pops are on the line…or really any time. 😂

Ummm…May I Be Excused?

When we talked to Matthew earlier this week, he told us that his entire district went out to dinner as their last big hurrah before transfers happened. There is either a ward member or a friend of some of the missionaries (I can’t remember exactly what the relationship is) who is the manager at a local restaurant, so they opted to go to that eatery. Which is why Matthew went into Texas Roadhouse. Texas. Road. House. Where the peanuts live. Which every allergist we have ever seen has specifically mentioned by name as a place to avoid. But Matthew has only been in Arkansas for six weeks, and the other missionaries honestly didn’t even think about it. And because he is a missionary, it’s not like he could stay home while his companion went to dinner. So, he grabbed a mask, a smart choice to keep any allergens out of his lungs and ventured into the forbidden zone. 

Obviously, he came out alive. He was smart and in addition to the mask, he didn’t try to eat there. He shared some pictures today, and it is very clear that he is in full on allergy defense mode with his bag tucked up on his lap and his hands and arms tucked in tight, trying not to touch anything more than absolutely necessary.

We all knew that Matthew would have lots of new experiences over the course of his mission, but this one was not anticipated. And honestly, it’s probably better that I didn’t know about it until after it had happened. 😂

If You Feed a Giraffe Some Lettuce…

Malia had no school today. And as things have been feeling really heavy around here of late, so many worries about so many things weighing all of us down, we decided that we needed to do something fun today. So, Malia and I went to the zoo. It has been a few years since our last visit, and it was an entirely different experience. As a teenager, Malia is far more content to spend a good amount of time watching her favorite animals rather than snatching one glimpse and then dashing off to see the next occupant.

Here are a few highlights of our trip. We had the opportunity to feed the giraffes. It was pretty cool to see their long, purple tongues as they reached out to nab their snacks! The baby colobus monkey was super cute. The little guy was surrounded by a circle of watchful adult monkeys, and the little one would jump around, grab the long hair on the tail of one of the adults, move to the next and jump on their head, and then head back to mom for a quick snuggle before returning to his antics. We also caught a glimpse of the baby orangutan, who is young and newly on exhibit. In fact, Malia was the one to spot her and once she said out loud that she had spotted the baby, the group at the habitat we were observing went from just the two of us to a crush of visitors lickety split. Honestly, I felt lucky to be able to sneak a peak in between all the other people. We also got to watch the polar bear swim around which was cool. Bears are so huge that they look like they shouldn’t be able to swim, but they are definitely comfortable in the water.

It was good to get out for a bit and spend some time ignoring the normal stresses and worries of our lives. A bit of play can help rejuvenate us and give our lives a better balance. I think I need to remember to do that more often.

Matthew is In the Building!

This morning as I opened the closet to grab my purse before leaving the house, I totally jumped because there was a person in the closet. Once that initial moment of being startled had passed, I realized what I was actually seeing.

I also found a friendly face ready to send me on my way as I headed to the car.

Later in the day, as I was putting groceries away, I found another visitor that I had missed in my rush to get out the door first thing. 

Malia, the culprit, decided late last night that Matthew on a stick needed to be doing something rather than just sitting there on the shelf in her room. And she thought that giving me a good scare first thing in the morning would be funny. And you know what? It actually was. 😂

Missionary Mama’s Viewpoint

Due to his openness in his emails and his resolution to be honest about the good and the bad of his missionary experience, there are a lot of you who are concerned about Matthew. I’ve received many worried inquiries about his wellbeing, so I thought I’d take a minute to address those concerns.

The short answer is that he’s okay.

The long answer is that the adversary is hitting him hard with all those darn D’s like doubt, discouragement, despair, etc. but he’s okay. He’s not one to go down without a fight and like I reminded him when we spoke last week, he has always had an absolutely resolute testimony about the truthfulness of the gospel. All my boys struggled with nightmares as children, but he’s the only one who ever woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me that he “had a good dream that filled me with the Holy Spirit.” I kid you not. That’s an exact quote from a five- or six-year-old Matthew. The morning after that midnight awakening, he told me that he dreamed about the birth of Jesus. So, he has been firm in the faith pretty much forever. 

So yes, these are hard weeks for him. He is being tried. But he is rising up and giving his all to keep doing the work. He is also finding joy in small ways. He made bread this week which always makes me happy, and I suspect just the smell of the bread was a pick me up. He has also discovered that while Fort Smith may be a moderately sized town in the middle of nowhere Arkansas, it has enough diversity to support an Asian market that carries frozen bao that are safe for him. And since bao is like the very best Chinese comfort food in the world to him, that was a point on the positive side. He says they are not quite as good as homemade, but they are pretty good for a store-bought version. And he and his companion have been going fishing on their P-days. What I hear from those who enjoy fishing is that it is a relaxing pastime. So, I assume that’s a perk as well. And today he caught five big ole fish, which is pretty cool.

I won’t say that we haven’t had some parental worry happening over here, but I will also say that Matthew is keeping his head above water. He is much more chipper this week than he was last week, and he has been reminding us that there is always opposition when spiritually defining moments are on the horizon. And what is a mission but a two year spiritually defining and strengthening experience? He could definitely use some prayers though, and daily mail delivery is “the best part of the day” according to Matthew, so mail, either virtual or physical is always welcome.

Matthew has wanted to serve a mission since he was eight or nine. And for a good while there he wasn’t sure if he would be called to serve a full-time proselyting mission due to his multitude of allergies. So now that he is in Arkansas doing the Lord’s work, he is not likely to take any opposition lying down. He’s figuring things out and while the work is hard, he is giving it his all.

Should I Be Concerned?

Malia’s language arts class was given a writing prompt this morning. The prompt was “What is the most dangerous game in life?” This is what Malia came up with:

The most dangerous game in life? Russian Roulette. Why? You get shot. Why is that bad?Bullets can kill you. Or just leave you seriously maimed. And depending on who shot you it could turn into an emotional game as well, as long as you live long enough to make it such. In more depth, Russian Roulette is a game that gets played with a revolver. You put a single round into the gun, and spin the thing. Then you put the gun to your head and hope your brains don't get splattered. Or maybe someone else points the gun at you. Who knows. That would depend on the situation and whether or not you accidentally got yourself involved with some Italian Mafia Boss. Or maybe a gang that you owe money, but aren't exactly patient. Or hey, maybe it's a fun family evening activity. (I'm kidding, no one in their right mind would play Russian Roulette with their family. Just their enemies.) Its like a more intense version of the pie splat game, but you go splat instead, ya know? I also don't think it's quite as legal as the pie splat game. I wouldn't know, maybe you could find out for me? Yes, you, my dear reader. Or, actually, don't do that. That would end badly for everyone. Dangerous doesn't always mean fun. DON'T PLAY RUSSIAN ROULETTE:)

Malia says she is not a good writer. She claims that she isn’t good at adding details to her writing projects, and there is no love for her in writing fiction, persuasive essays, poetry, or pretty much anything else her teachers have asked of her. But maybe she just hasn’t been asked to write the appropriate things yet. Because I’m thinking humorous essays or maybe even satire just might be right up her alley. She certainly did seem to enjoy today’s assignment as she shared it with us over dinner. And I’ll admit it. I laughed. Out loud. 

Hopefully her teacher doesn’t see this expression of a bit of dark humor as a warning sign and send a referral to Malia’s counselor… 😜